Wednesday 4 December 2013

The Lion's Daughter & Indian Blanket - A Black Sea - Album Review


The Lion's Daughter is a Black/Death/Doom/Sludge Metal Band from St Louis, MO, USA

Indian Blanket is a Folk Band from St Lou s, MO, USA

A Black Sea Album Review

A Black Sea is an unexpected, but affecting collaboration between the folk act Indian Blanket and the black metal band The Lion's Daughter. A dark, brooding album that marries the two sounds creating a truly cinematic experience; it takes the listener trudging along outdoors in deep winter, as if directed by Darren Aronofsky.

The album begins with the deeply atmospheric song, Wolves.  The strums of delicate acoustic guitars and the sorrowful fiddles are dexterously balanced with devastating doom metal passages.  This blending continues into Gods Much Trouble, and the seamless transition between songs makes it seem as though the two pieces are one. More layers of fiddle and banjos further paint a picture of a lonesome journey through harsh hinterlands, paying homage to both bands' Missouri roots.

Swann is a more traditional Lions Daughter effort, with crushing blast beats and thrashing guitars that contrast nicely with the passages of haunting strings.  A Song For the Devil is more of a traditional folk song and is steeped in dark images of shallow graves and the devil.  Timeless Waters follows with a colorful, almost instrumental groove. The black metal riffs in Sea of Trees begin instantaneously and never abate through four and a half minutes.

The last two songs step the amplitude down from the towering metal riffs into the haunting sound of folk.  A deep sadness comes through in That Place, a contemplative song with dark, lyrical imagery.  The Black Sea ends on a moody cover of the classic Moonshiner, presenting an introspective and somber tone. 

The entire album makes the listener feel as if they were on an epic and harrowing adventure.   The two bands clearly experimented in creating musical landscapes, and this is a complete success.  Each listen reveals new layers of sound, going deeper into the abyss. A Black Sea is a beast of an album.

Written by Ben Bowman

I agree 100% with Ben's excellent review. This album is an incredible experience you will never forget. A thought-provoking masterpiece. Thanks to The Lion's Daughter for sending us a promo copy to review.

A Black Sea is available to buy from Good To Die Records on Vinyl and Digital Download now.

Check the band from links below

The Lion's Daughter

Facebook
BandCamp
Indian Blanket